501.BC Indonesia/6–949: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in the Netherlands 1
512. Dept disturbed by certain indications present Neth position Indonesia may embody certain concealed alternative course action which if taken wld doubtless bring painfully constructed May 7 accord to ground. These indications are (a) ref urtel 491 June 9 to preparedness transfer “part sovereignty” to Indonesia. Dept believes and has supposed that Neth Govt agrees that when sovereignty is passed to USI, sovereignty must be complete and unconditional; otherwise demands of Repub and non-Repub Indo nationalists will continue unsatisfied and whole theory of voluntary Neth–Indo Union will be vitiated, (b) In negots with Rep del, Neth del has been reluctant to characterize restoration Repub to Jogja as “initial” restoration. This reluctance occasions Dept to consider possibility that Neth may hope limit territory restored to Repub to residency Jogj a hoping thus contain Repub in relatively small area. Dept believes that Repub nationalist movement, not being geographical concept, cannot be so contained and that attempts to do so will only result hi continued disorder throughout parts Java and Sumatra in which Repub sympathies are indisputable, (c) Foregoing hypothesis (b) possibly substantiated [Page 431] by willingness of Neth to restore Repub to entire residency Jogja instead Jogja and its environs as required by SC Jan 28 resolution. (d) Neth del seems prepared to transfer to Repub Govt Jogja when restored limited supplies police equipment (it has not yet agreed to transfer of arms). It occurs to Dept that unwillingness to transfer larger supplies police equipment may reflect desire to limit Repub Govt’s ability to restore and maintain law and order in area larger than residency.
If above assumptions justified, following hypotheses must be seriously considered: that Neth in addition to hoping to contain Repub in Jogja and residency, may consider Repub will be unable secure reasonable compliance cease fire from Repub adherents outside residency as well as extremist, Commies and otherwise; that shld such contingency eventuate, Neth wld be in position to insist on Repub’s inadequacy and irresponsibility, decry policy forced on Neth by SC and foreign powers, US in particular, and demand control of archipelago by provisional govt from which present Repub leaders wld be excluded or reduced minor role and which wld be essentially Neth dominated.
Dept does not believe that hypotheses such as foregoing are necessarily subscribed to by Neth Govt as such or in any case by Van Royen who appears determined to implement May 7 agreement with complete sincerity. It seems possible to Dept that since Neth is popular govt, also coalition, such hypotheses as foregoing may be held by some elements Neth Govt who expect to develop them into reality in near future.
Pls comment foregoing identifying wherever possible personalities involved.
- Repeated as 325, Usgoc 382, to Batavia.↩